A pleasant morning. Made a fourth attempt to send a telegram home.

Met George W. Adair, an old pioneer, whose grandfather was at Valley Forge under Gen. Washington. He was in Washington Co. carrying mail from Parowan to Washington in the year when the Mountain Meadow Massacre took place. He saw the message that was sent by by [sic] John D. Lee & Higbee to Pres. Young. He saw the answer from Pers. Young. He said to me, “I am a living witness that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had nothing to do with the massacre. Brigham Young, Geo. A. Smith knew no more about it than you did.” Bro. Adair saw the white flag, saw the company, disarmed, and saw the women’s and children’s throats cut. He said it was horrible. Not John D. Lee but John Higbee gave the order to kill the women and children. John D. Lee was with the wounded when the firing began behind him. Next day after the massacre, Bro. Adair helped bury the massacred. They were stripped of their clothing and valuables. He picked up a long purse filled with gold, but held it away from him as a thing accursed, because John Higbee had said that if anybody took any property belonging to the company “it would burn them.” As Bro. Adair was holding this purse, Mr. Higbee walked up, grabbed the purse, and pushed it in his pocket.” From that time,” said Bro. Adair, “I had no use for him. It was then that he caught me by the hair, pulled my head back, and drawing a big knife across my throat, said if you ever divulge what you have seen, I will cut your throat from ear to ear.”